Four students from the Kamiakin Middle School’s (KMS) band program have received the Director’s Award.
Sebastian Kolde, Madison Nguyen, Andrew Ellis and Rachel Gerhardt have each been awarded the school’s highest musical honor, which has a long tradition of recognizing the community’s finest musicians. The four students are being recognized for their musical prowess, dedication to the bands, and for providing the highest example to younger musicians and their peers.
Kolde, a student of local professional Brent Hages, plays oboe and has participated in local pit orchestras, the Seattle Youth Symphony and the 5th Avenue’s Rising Star program. Nguyen, a student of Seattle’s Bruce Wilson, plays alto saxophone in the school’s wind ensemble and jazz ensemble, in which she’s earned top ratings from adjudicators and was featured on the band’s latest recording playing “My Foolish Heart.” Ellis and Gerhardt are both private students of Cathy Cole and have a history of performances in both classical and jazz literature. Both trombonists are featured in the band’s latest recordings: Ellis on “If You Believe” and Gerhardt on “Charade.”
All four musicians were members of this year’s Junior All-State Band.
In addition to these four musicians, the following students were awarded with quarterly certificates throughout the school year for their dedication and musical growth:
Tiffany Zhang, tenor saxophone; Benny Tataran, bass; Sara Whelan, trombone; Anya Vaish, oboe; Calvin Seraile, tuba; Leilanii Adams, baritone saxophone; Sarah Buchanan, French horn; Maya El Zein, trombone; Jack Clark, euphonium; Natalie Ferrara, percussion; Aditi Saraf, clarinet; Grant Pabst, bass; Katey Brewer, baritone saxophone and Liam Gibbs, vibraphone.
Kolde and Nguyen were also recognized throughout the year.
Certificates were also given to four students who earned Band Member of the Year: Thandi Dayton, clarinet; Cassi Bull, bassoon, Alena Moss, trombone and Nguyen, alto saxophone. This year’s Peter Riffe Memorial Scholarship was awarded to sixth-grader Michael Nielson, who plays the tuba.
Other band members who were accepted to Washington State’s 2017 Jr. All-State Band were:
Dhruv Ashok, French horn; Amy Courage, clarinet; Ella Geels, bassoon; Liam Gibbs, percussion; Amelia Hawkins, flute; Karen Lu, flute; Caleb Luca; trumpet; Fiona McDaniel; flute; Danny Roeder, trombone; Aditi Saraf, clarinet; Natalie Sauze, trumpet; Sagnik Sinha, clarinet; Kaylei Virtue, clarinet and Kimaya Wijeratna, flute.
Throughout the year, some of the performances for the KMS band musicians included the Hyatt Hotel in Bellevue, Seattle Center’s MoPop Sky Church and the State Capitol Building in Olympia. The student musicians also performed in Oregon, at the Friends of Youth luncheon in Bellevue, the Kingsgate Library, elementary school functions and a host of other events.
